For the past few months, I’ve been conducting free 30-Minute 1L Strategy Sessions with entering 1Ls who seek to position themselves for success once classes start. What I learned from these calls is that the importance of 1L grades is evident to just about 50% of the people I spoke with; however, landing a 1L summer job was on the minds of almost every single entering law student.
Landing a 1L Summer Job
People, you need to R-E-L-A-X!
While your summer employment may seem important to you right now — whether you’re seeking the income or a nice little resumé booster — the truth is that what you do during the 1L summer will likely have zero impact on your professional career. What’s worse: there’s absolutely no reason to be thinking about 1L summer jobs now, because most of the top legal employers aren’t thinking about you!
Let me explain.
Understanding NALP
The National Association for Law Placement (www.NALP.org) regulates the law student hiring process and prohibits employers from connecting with first-year law students until December 1st of their 1L year. Even then, most employers won’t make decisions about who to interview (and certainly who to hire) until 1L Fall grades are released in January. So, spending time worrying about a summer job right now is definitely premature and not worth your energy.
However, if you don’t believe me, and still you want to get a jump start on the process, consider checking off these summer-job-search tasks NOW, so they don’t distract you from your true objective next fall (earning top grades) which WILL determine your success of landing a 1L summer job :
- Create a profile on the Law Preview Job Network so, when the December 1st deadline passes, BigLaw recruiters can search for, and contact, you;
- Update your resume to include “Candidate for Juris Doctor, Class of 2022” and include any work experience you may have this summer; and, lastly
- Identify a few law firms in the city where you plan to be after 1L, and perhaps use the summer to draft a cover letter template (dated December 1st, of course!).
Other than that, focus on what you’re going to do to ensure your place at the top of the 1L class.
Get to the Top with Law Preview
How do you get to the top of your 1L class? Start law school with the tools and knowledge you need to start 1L ahead of the curve.
With Law Preview, it only takes six days to learn the skills of a top law student from the nation’s top law school professors. With live, live stream and on-demand course options, there’s no reason not to get on the path to 1L success.
Here’s what you’ll learn by taking Law Preview this summer:
- Proven exam-taking strategies
- Overview of core 1L material
- Academic success skills
- And more
Learn more about Law Preview prep, and take the first step toward the top of the class today.
“An important part of 1L is learning how to manage new stresses and routines, and the tools that Law Preview gave me regarding outline habits, study tips, and exam preparation truly helped me remain calm and confident. Plus, since I was already exposed to first-year topics when classes began, I was able to understand the material at a deeper level, leading me to achieve a 3.95 GPA in my first semester. I would happily recommend Law Preview to anyone who wants to start law school with confidence and with the backing of a great support system.”
— Jenna C., American University, Washington College of Law, Class of 2021
